National Taiwan Museum

National Taiwan Museum , established in 1908, is the oldest museum in Taiwan. It was set up by the colonial government of Japan during the . It is located in Taipei, Taiwan.

History

Established in 1908, the museum is the oldest in Taiwan. The colonial government of Japan set up the Museum on October 24, 1908 to commemorate the inauguration of the North-South Railway. The museum had a collection of over 10,000 items in its initial stages. In 1915, the new building of the museum in Taipei New Park was inaugurated and became one of the major public buildings during .

Under the -rule government, the Department of Education of the Taiwan Provincial Government took over the administration of the museum in 1949 and renamed it "Taiwan Provincial Museum." The museum underwent two major renovations in 1961 and 1994 respectively. Since 1999, the museum has been administered by the Central Government and renamed "National Taiwan Museum." Throughout the years of war and political transition and after twice being renamed, it stands as the only museum established during the colonial years, which is still in operation on its original site.

For a century, since the Qing dynasty, the museum has been standing in front of the Taipei Main Station, on the north-south and east-west pivotal crossroads of old Taipei. Its elegant architecture, abundant collections and unique geographical position have made the museum an important landmark in Taipei. In 1998, the Ministry of the Interior declared the museum a "National Heritage." The museum has witnessed Taiwan's history and recorded its natural and humanitarian developments. Through this window, one may catch a glimpse of Taiwan's evolution with regard to the fields of earth sciences, humanitarian developments, zoology, and botany.

The museum maintains its original scale, with five departments — anthropology, earth sciences, zoology, botany and education. The collection features specimens of Taiwan's indigenous animals and plants as well as cultural artifacts. Through its regular exhibitions and special exhibitions, publications and various educational programs, the museum is serving the public as an educational establishment.

System of Museums in Capital

"System of Museums in Capital" is a big project started by Council for Cultural Affairs in 2005. It takes National Taiwan Museum as the center and combine nearby historic monuments associated with Japanese rule in Taiwan such as 228 Memorial Park, , and Taipei Guest House. This system has become the best starting point to those who wants to know the history of Taiwan. This project includes:

* National Taiwan Museum
* old building
* Mitsui Bussan Company old building



The first two were originally used as the head office of the Land Bank of Taiwan . The recovery has started on February 8, 2007, and will be completed in May 2008.

The following historical buildings will also be restored and added into the system as museums:

* Office of the Governor-General of Taiwan Transportation Administration Railway Department , became the head office of Taiwan Railway Administration. It is under repair now and will be the Railway Museum in the future.
* 公賣局舊樟腦工廠: Completed in 1990
* 專賣局: Head office of the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation , it will be used for in industry exhibition the future.

Exhibitions

* Special exhibitions
* International exhibitions
* Touring exhibitions: every year, the museum organizes exhibition tours selected from among the special exhibitions that are suitable for showing in natural history educational halls around the island.
* Permanent exhibitions:
**Section on Taiwan's pre-history culture.
**Section on Taiwan's indigenous culture.
* Outdoor exhibitions: includes Bronze buffaloes, Collection of Stone Tablets, relics of the Giant Stone Culture, Old cannons, and Old locomotives.

Picture gallery

National Science and Technology Museum

National Science and Technology Museum is a museum of applied science and technology in Kaohsiung in south-west Taiwan.

Established in November 1997 is covers 19 hectares on Chiuju Road in Sanmin District. The floor area covers 112,400 square meters, and a result claims to be the largest science museum in the whole of Asia .

The architecture features geometric forms including triangles, rectangles, and circles, and the buildings are connected by straight bridges.

National Museum of Taiwan Literature

The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is a new museum located in Tainan City, Taiwan. It opened in 2003. The museum researches, catalogs, preserves, and exhibits literary artifacts. As part of its multilingual, multi-ethnic focus, it holds a large collection of local works in , , , and Classical Chinese.

It was planned as a national-level organization to fill in a long-perceived gap in how the Republic of China's institutions had handled the island's literature as a field of academic inquiry and popular discourse. The Council for Cultural Affairs under the Executive Yuan set up the initial planning office.

Tainan was chosen for its historical significance as a cultural center. The museum is housed in the former Tainan City Hall, itself a national historical monument.

National Museum of Prehistory (Taiwan)

The Taiwanese National Museum of Prehistory is located in Taitung City, Taitung County, Taiwan.

National Museum of Natural Science

The National Museum of Natural Science is a national museum in Taichung, Taiwan.

The Research and Collection Division of the museum is divided into departments for zoology, botany, geology and anthropology.

The architect and educator Pao-Teh Han was appointed as the first director of the museum in 1987, a post he held until 1995. He was involved with helping to set up the museum before that from 1981. The current director is Chia-Wei Li.

National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium

The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium is an aquarium located on the west coast of Taiwan near Kenting.
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Kaohsiung Museum of History

Kaohsiung Museum of History is a museum located in Yancheng District in Kaohsiung and administered by the city government. The building of the museum was originally the Kaohsiung City Hall.

Kaohsiung Hakka Cultural Museum

Kaohsiung Hakka Cultural Museum is a cultural museum in Kaohsiung in south-west Taiwan.

It is located in Sanmin Park in Sanmin District, and set in 2645 m? of land it is dedicated to the Hakka culture, displaying artifacts. The building itself is modelled on traditional Chinese Hakka architecture with red glass and tiled rooves and its courtyard.

Kaohsiung Astronomical Museum

Kaohsiung Astronomical Museum is an museum in Kaohsiung in south-west Taiwan.
established in 2000 . It is located near Kangho Elementary School in the suburbs of Siaogang District.

The museum is dedicated to the promotion and teaching of astronomical science and is equipped with a multimedia hall with a built in 5-meter-diameter sky screen, and an astronomical science exhibition hall.

The museum has created a 2-meter-diameter constellation map which is the largest ever created in the Mandarin language and is in the possession of the NT$6 million Temma Mewlon 300mm reflector telescope, the most developed telescope ever owned by a museum or organization other than the research institutes in Taiwan. .

Fort Santo Domingo

Fuerte Santo Domingo or Fort San Domingo was originally a wooden fort built by the in 1629 at on the northwestern coast of Taiwan.

On a night in 1636, a group of local people, angered by the taxes that the Spanish governor had imposed, successfully attacked the fort and demolished it. In 1637, the Spanish rebuilt the fort using stone and raised the walls' height to twenty feet or more. In 1642, the expelled the Spaniards from nearby Keelung. The Spanish fort in Tamsui had by then already been razed by the Spanish themselves. The Dutch built a new fort on the site, called Fort Anthonio. In 1644, they replaced it by the structure still standing today, also called Fort Anthonio. The locals called the Dutch "the red-haired people", which led to the compound's Chinese name, Hong-Mao Cheng . From 1683 to 1867 the Qing Dynasty Chinese government controlled the fort and during this time built a stone wall with four gates around it, of which only one gate survives.

Following the opium wars in 1868 the took over the fort, made it their trade consulate, and painted it red . The linguist Herbert Allen Giles resided in the fort from 1885 to 1888 and completed some of his work on the Wade-Giles system of romanization of Standard Mandarin Chinese there. Next to the fort the British built their consular residence in 1891. The consulate closed during World War II and reopened after the end of the war. The British handed the site over to the Republic of China government in 1972 when they broke diplomatic relations with the ROC. The ROC government has classified the Fort a grade one listed historical site and it is now a museum with the interior recreated from photographs. It was reopened after refurbishment in 2005.

The Fort is adjacent to Aletheia University, which traces its origins back to 1872 when the Reverend Dr. George Leslie Mackay, a Canadian Presbyterian, established a mission and then a medical service and a school.

The fort is open to the public Tuesday – Sunday, 9am – 5pm, at an entrance cost of $60 NT$40 . Fort San Domingo is also about 15 minutes on foot from Huwei Fort and one can buy combination tickets that give admission to both forts.

Formosa Plastics Group Museum

The Formosa Plastics Group Museum, located on the campus of Chang Gung University, was opened in 2004 to commemorate the 50^th anniversary, where the history and culture of Taiwan’s most prominent company is displayed. There are 7 floors of display in the building, totaling 2837 pings . Wang Yung-ching, nicknamed ‘the God of Management’ by the Japanese, is the founder of the Formosa Plastics Group , and two floors of museum space are dedicated to his life and the achievements of his company. The FPG, a US$60 billion revenue, contributes > 12% of Taiwan’s GDP in 2007. The company employs over 94,000 people world-wide.

1^st Floor

In the center of the lobby is an 8.5-ton of Kauri pine, which symbolizes energy and vitality. Kauri pine in the Māori language means “lord of trees”. Together with its long life span and hardness, the Kauri echoes the same impression toward FPG held by the general public in Taiwan.
The ground floor also features the company motto, the CIS , the chronology, the briefing of business sectors FPG is in.

2^nd Floor

The second floor features wax statues and a recreation of Taiwan during . Copies of governmental approval to Formosa Plastics Company, established in 1954, are also documented. The organization chart lists the 40 subsidiaries worldwide in the conglomerate.

3^rd Floor

The third floor focuses on plastics and chemical fiber sectors. The company had the smallest output in the world at first, but now serves as one of the major PVC producers worldwide.
Plastic processing machines and the company’s first weaving machine are exhibited. Also on display are photographs witnessing the simultaneous surges of the company development and Taiwan’s economic miracle.

4^th Floor

The 4th floor, Exhibition of Energy and Electronics Industry, features a large 13.6m x 6.6m 1/600 scale model of FPG’s MiaoLiao Complex. Visitors will walk on the glass floor to get a of the 2,600 hectares of reclaimed land and a man-made 600 hectares industrial harbor. The actual reclaimed area is 8 km long and 4 km wide. The man-made harbor has a draft of 24m . This magnificent scale model, lighted up with optical fiber, is a definite must-see!

With the MaiLiao Project, which includes , naphtha , olefin, aromatic compound , and the downstream chemical raw materials, FPG successfully accomplished significant organic growth and extension from plastic manufacturing to petrochemical industry.

FPG entered the electronic business by making printed circuit boards in 1983. The exhibition also illustrates how FPG extended the backward vertical integration by adding production of epoxy resin , copper-clad laminates , glass yarn , glass fiber , copper foil , ECH and BPA . It took two decades to make the vertical integration complete from oil refinery to PCB.

The MiaoLiao project well positions FPG as one of major manufacturers in petrochemical industry and PCB-related material in the world.

An 8 inch silicon ingot, made by Formosa Sumco Technology Corporation, and an 8” DRAM wafer, made by Nanya Technology Corporation, are on the display.

5^th Floor

The fifth floor introduces the group’s overseas and affiliated companies. Among the many exhibits, models of the first chemical ship and the largest 300,000 ton-oil tanker of the Formosa Marine Corporation are displayed. A must-see/sit is an actual SCANIA tractor, which allows children to experience daily work of the drivers.
Expansion into biotechnology represents the progressive innovation of Taiwan’s oldest conglomerate.

6^th Floor

Wang Yung-ching gives back to society in his own way, not just by giving money. He founded three universities and the largest non-profit private hospital in Taiwan before 1988. A subsidiary, Formosa Heavy Equipment, rebuilt 16 elementary schools after the 921 earthquake, the most powerful quake in Taiwan in decades. All these are presented by scale models.

Basement Floor

A briefing room shows a documentary film for FPG and a virtual recreation of the New Zealand Kauri forest.

Chi-mei Museum

The Chi-Mei Museum in Tainan, Taiwan is the private museum of the Chi-Mei Industrial Corporation. The collection is divided into five categories: Western Art ; Musical Instruments; Natural History; Arms and Armor; Antiquities and Artifacts.

Founder

Hsu Wen-Lung
In 1977, he set up the Chi-Mei Museum, because he wants to complete his dream in child time. He is famous for the collection of antique violin- Stradivarius, Guarneri, Gesu and Nicolo Amati. He is not only good at managing the company but also at playing violin. He had public performance many times. Because he loves music so much and wants to improve the level of classical music in Taiwan, he founded the Chi-Mei Cultural Foundation and provides the scholarship for growing artists.

About Chi-Mei Museum

Location： Tainan State Taiwan
Adderss： No. 59-1, San Chia Tsun, Jen Te Hisang, Tainan County
Telephone：06-2663000#1600
Established in 1990, the museum is open to the public and has several exhibition areas, including art, natural history, historic weapons, musical instruments, ancient objects, sculptures and industrial techniques. The museum has a collection of European paintings in the 18th and 19th century, presenting the development of western art. The historic weapon exhibition presents weapons from prehistoric time, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age to modern times. The two canons in front of the museum were designed and built in 1689. They were taken away by foreigners in the 19th century until Chi Mei Culture Foundation purchased them in 1994. The museum also collects valuable violins, including 5 Antonio Stradivaris, 2 Guarneri del Gesu, Nicolo Amati, Jacob Stainer, Amati, Rogeri, Joseph Guarneri Filius Andrea, Seraphin, Gagliano and Guadagnini. Besides, the Chi-Mei Museum also owns private symphony orchestra named Chimei Philharmonic Orchestra founded in 2003 museum. The Chi-Mei Museum also loans the antiques instruments to distinguished musician with free of charge, such as Yo-yo Ma. It is a strong commitment of this Foundation that good instruments be played by good players and the good music thus produced be shared by all mankind "-Mr. Wen-long Shi, President, Chi-Mei Culture Foundation.

The Chi Mei Culture Foundation was established over 20 years ago, and the wealth of the collection encompasses different eras and geographical areas. At present, experts recognize the Chi-Mei Museum as one of the most prestigious private collections in the world. Forbes magazine, in its February 1996 article on private collectors in Asia, called Chi-Mei Museum "one of the world's most surprising art collections." The museum is open to the public, free of charge.

Art Works

The Madonna of Hummility

Faties Venire a moi les enfants

Saint Martin et le Mendicant- Lucas Cranach Le Jeune


Chatiry- Jacques Blanchard-El Greco


The Last Tears-Narciss-Virgile Diaz de Pena


La Charite-Unknown


La_Benediction_des_bles

Reproductions from Museum

Chi-Mei Museum has offered reproductions such as canvas posters, simulating sculptures made from bonded marble powder, stationery items and many classic CD recordings performed by top Taiwanese musicians on the rare instruments from the Chi-Mei Collection since 1997,. Chi-Mei Museum has also published the hardcover book "Chi-Mei Collection of Fine Violins" featuring 15 world famous string instruments made by the Italian violin makers of the 17th century. Through the Shining Collection in New York, one can inquire about and purchase these reproductions.